Brian Norman Jr is confident in his victory over Jin Sasaki, as the pair square off on June 19 at Ota City General Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan. The unbeaten 24-year-old champion puts his WBO welterweight title on the line, making his second championship defense.
In his previous bout in March in Las Vegas, Norman (27-0, 21 KOs) retained his belt via third-round TKO against Derrieck Cuevas. The native of Decatur, GA initially claimed the interim strap by eliminating Giovani Santillan in the 10th round in San Diego.
In his next fight on Thursday in Tokyo, Norman is opposed by a representative of the host country, Jin Sasaki (19-1-1, 17 KOs). The 23-year-old contender, who enters the ring on a seven-fight win streak, makes his first attempt at capturing one of boxing’s four major titles.
“I am the true definition of a ‘world’ champion,” Norman said. “That’s what being a champion is about. I’m honored to showcase my talents all across the world, no matter the location or terrain.”
“There really hasn’t been any adjustment required – training is training no matter the location. I’ve been doing this all my life. You don’t have to change how you walk just because you’re in another country… This camp has been amazing. I fought three months ago, so I came into this camp already sharp and in shape. I’d love to stay this active and be a true champion for the people.”
‘I truly believe I am unstoppable’
“I know Sasaki’s habits, techniques and anything he wants to do. There’s nothing he can do to surprise me besides grow a third arm. I’m expecting him to fight harder than he ever has before because of the magnitude of this fight, but the end result will still be the same. I came with my belt and I’m leaving with my belt.”
“I don’t care where I fight or who I fight, the fans always motivate me to go 10 times harder. They’re the reason I train so hard. You will not be disappointed at all, even if it’s over quickly.”
“My main improvement since becoming champion has been my mentality, and I will keep improving on it. That’s what separates the goods from the greats. I truly believe I am unstoppable and will go down in history as ‘that’ guy.”
Among the bouts featured on the Norman vs Sasaki undercard, Cristian Araneta (25-2, 20 KOs) of the Philippines and Thanongsak Simsri (38-1, 34 KOs) of Thailand battle it out for the vacant IBF super strawweight title. Plus, Sora Tanaka (3-0, 3 KOs) and Takeru Kobata (14-7-1, 6 KOs) meet in an all-Japanese contest at welterweight.
In the U.S. the event airs live on ESPN+.